When Do You Use unconscionable?

Something that can't be done in good conscience is unconscionable, and such acts can range from betraying a confidence to mass murder. For a five-syllable word, unconscionable is actually quite common. This is partly because it isn't always used very seriously; so, for example, a critic is free to call a fat new book "an unconscionable waste of trees". In law, an unconscionable contract is one that, even though it was signed by both parties, is so ridiculous that a judge will just throw it out.

Examples of unconscionable in a Sentence

They have had to endure unconscionable delays.
an unconscionable number of errors for an important government report

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unconscionable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Legal Definition of unconscionable

: unreasonably unfair to one party, marked by oppression, or otherwise unacceptably offensive to public policy
an unconscionable clausefinds the contract…to have been unconscionable at the time it was made — Uniform Commercial Code — compare conscionable